Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to home automation systems and more specifically to power optimization of home automation system devices.
Background Information
Home automation systems are becoming increasingly popular in both residential and commercial buildings. Such systems may be capable of controlling, switching data between, and otherwise interacting with a wide variety of devices, including lighting devices, security devices, audio/video (A/V) devices, heating ventilation and cooling (HVAC) devices, and/or other types of devices.
Traditionally, home automation systems have required significant installed wiring, which has added to the cost and complexity of installations. For example, many existing home automation systems have relied upon a wired (e.g., Ethernet) local area network (LAN) to exchange control messages between a controller and the devices of the home automation system that are under the controller's control. As such, control wiring was often required throughout the structure. The need to install such wiring made it difficult for homeowners and less-skilled general purpose installers to install many traditional home automation systems.
More recently, some home automation systems have begun to use wireless LANs (e.g., Wi-Fi) as their primary means for exchanging control messages. However, the use of wireless networking technology has not fully addressed the issue of wiring, as home automation system devices still generally require power. For many devices, such power takes the form of alternating current (A/C) power from dedicated in-wall wiring or power cords to wall outlets. If there are not existing wall outlets in the desired locations, unsightly extension cords or new in-wall wiring may be required.
To address the wiring issue in home automation systems, some attempts have been made to use battery-powered home automation system devices. While this may allow for a clean install, the limited power capacity of batteries presents its own set of problems. Some devices may draw significant power, leading to short battery life, and a frequent need to recharge or replace batteries. In attempts to lessen this burden, power optimization techniques may be employed that detect when a device has been inactive for some set period of time, and trigger the device to enter a low-power state (e.g., a sleep state). When an attempt to use the device is detected, the device may wake from the low-power state, power up, and then handle the task at hand.
However, exiting the low-power state (e.g., a sleep state) when there is an attempt to use the device may introduce unacceptable amounts of delay (e.g., control lag), causing the home automation system to feel unresponsive. There may be significant delay (e.g., hundreds of milliseconds or even seconds) until the device can recognize the attempt at use, exit the low-power state (e.g., sleep state), and then take the appropriate action. Unresponsiveness may impair the user experience, hindering the deployment of battery-powered devices as a replacement for wired devices.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved techniques for power optimization of home automation system devices, including battery-powered devices, that may conserve power while ensuring responsiveness.